palmetto

noun pal·met·to \ pal-ˈme-(ˌ)tō also pä- , päl- , pȯ- , pȯl- \

Updated on: 24 Mar 2018

Definition of palmetto

plural palmettos or palmettoes

1 : any of several usually low-growing fan-leaved palms; especially : cabbage palmetto

2 : strips of the leaf blade of a palmetto used in weaving

See palmetto defined for kids

Recent Examples of palmetto from the Web

Stylized floral beading evoked magnolias and water lilies sculpted the sides of the bodice, while intersecting trails of palmetto fronds defined the basque waistline and lattice through the skirt.

— sue strachan, NOLA.com, "The Atlanteans ball celebrates Louisiana," 20 Feb. 2018
Among the decorations is one of South Carolina’s famous palmettos, which is the official state tree.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "Bargain hunter paid $20 for old South Carolina teapot. It auctioned for $800,000! | Charlotte Observer," 25 Feb. 2018
In the town of Belle Chasse (not far from New Orleans,) there’s Woodlands Trail and Park, a recreational greenway of forested wetlands filled with palmetto and cypress — lovely, yes, but similar in many ways to other such woodlands in the state.

— jennifer moses, New York Times, "At the Mouth of the Mississippi, a Weird and Fragile Beauty," 21 Feb. 2018
Meanwhile, in Savannah, ice changed over to snow, offering a rare coating on the region’s palmetto trees.

— jason samenow, Washington Post, "The ‘bomb cyclone’ by the numbers: Here’s how much snow, wind and flooding it unleashed," 5 Jan. 2018
Wearing a tie emblazoned with the state’s palmetto and crescent moon logo, Justice Finney appealed to the court to exonerate the men, who had been sentenced in 1961 by Judge Hayes’s uncle.

— sam roberts, New York Times, "Ernest Finney Jr., Rights Lawyer in ‘Jail, Not Bail’ Case, Dies at 86," 7 Dec. 2017
The restaurant’s chandeliers could have been plucked from a nearby Victorian mansion, while the wicker furniture on the second-floor pool deck seems inspired by the palmetto baskets of the local Gullah people.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Andaz Savannah," 20 Oct. 2017
The swampy lowlands were rich with flowering plants, palmettos and ferns.

— mike sager, Smithsonian, "Will the Public Ever Get to See the “Dueling Dinosaurs”?," 29 July 2017
Go deep into the trails at Rattlesnake Ridge and take in the wet pine flatwoods, scrub oaks and palmettos covering acres of sandy swells.

— brian kelly, AL.com, "Biking the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail," 27 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'palmetto.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.